Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman feels refreshed ahead of the upcoming campaign after taking a mental health leave in March that lasted through the end of the season.
"I felt it was important for me to (take the leave) to get a handle on everything mentally and physically," Hedman told NHL.com's Dan Rosen on Tuesday.
"Someone told me that for good leaders, sometimes doing the right thing for the team is to kind of step away. I thought that was the right decision for me. I wasn't myself on the ice. I felt I wasn't helping the team. So, I felt the best thing for the team was for me to focus on myself away. I don't regret that decision at all. It was the right thing to do."
Hedman last played on March 19 before taking a personal leave on March 25, later revealing it was for mental health. His absence led him to miss the end of the regular season and Tampa Bay's first-round, seven-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
"For me, it was not really feeling low, but it was performance anxiety, kind of feeling that pressure in your chest as soon as a game day would hit," Hedman said. "It kind of locks you up. You make a mistake, and in the past you'd be able to shake it off, but I couldn't do that. And I wasn't feeling 100% physically."
The 35-year-old also dealt with multiple injuries last season and was sidelined for 34 contests ahead of the Olympic break. Although he dressed for Sweden's quarterfinal against the United States, he was unable to play after sustaining an injury during warmups.
Hedman said he likely would've returned had the Lightning advanced past the opening round. He added that he expects it'll take some time to get up to game speed after the prolonged layoff.
"For me, it's just feeling healthy and feeling like my body is where I want it to be," Hedman said. "You're on the ice every day, you're in the gym, and you feel good, and that makes, obviously, the mental part easier too when you feel you can perform in your job to the fullest extent. I'm sure it's going to take me a few games to get back into the rhythm of playing in the league since I haven't played in a long time, but I'm super fresh, hungry, and super motivated to go out there and play my best hockey."
Hedman also said he hopes being open about his experience will help others take steps to address their own struggles.
"The stigma, I think it's getting a lot better, but it's still probably there," Hedman said. "At the same time, people go through this, and it's a lot more people than you think. It's good to be able to put it out there, that it's OK not to be OK."
A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Hedman won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 2018 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2020.
